We learned recently that Microsoft had inked an Android patent licensing deal with Voxx Electronics and now today we have learned that Microsoft has inked yet another patent deal with electronics company “Hop-on.” The electronics company is playing an undisclosed amount of money to Microsoft as a result of the deal.
“We are pleased that the list of companies benefiting from Microsoft’s Android licensing program now includes a U.S.-based manufacturer of affordable cellular technologies,” said Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of the Innovation and Intellectual Property Group at Microsoft. “Licensing is an effective way to share technology and build on each other’s work to provide valued products to consumers.”
Hop-on, for those who are not familiar with the company, is an international leader in the development and manufacturing of electronics, telecommunications services, as well as smartphones, tablets, Android/Chrome based televisions, set-top boxes, eReaders, and mobile-device apps. As ZDNet points out, Hop-on is well known for developing the world’s first disposable cell phone.
This is not the first time Microsoft has allowed other manufacturers to use patents from it’s portfolio. Microsoft has signed several patent licensing deals in the past with manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, HTC, and more. Microsoft is estimated to rake in nearly $2 billion from its patent licensing deals.
